WHL Roundup: Chiefs rout Oil Kings, Hitmen outlast Cougars

Carolina Hurricanes defensive prospect Jake Bean ended the shootout in the fifth round as the Calgary Hitmen won their second home game of the year Sunday against the visiting Prince George Cougars.

Tristen Nielsen’s second goal of the year opened the scoring late in the first period while Josh Curtis responded for the Cougars 57 seconds into the second period. That was all the scoring through regulation and overtime as Nick Schneider and Calgary native Taylor Gauthier went save-for-save against each other.

Schneider would finish with 33 saves in the win while Gauthier took the loss after making 39 saves, though he did help his Cougars earn a point for the third time in as many days on their road trip of Alberta.

The teams were tied through four rounds of the shootout until Jared Bethune missed for the Cougars while Jake Bean scored for the Hitmen.

The Hitmen will host the Chiefs Tuesday while the Cougars will venture to the Lower Mainland, readying themselves for a date with the Vancouver Giants Friday.

Hudson Elynuik had a pair of goals and four points, Riley Woods had a three-point effort, Los Angeles Kings draft pick Jaret Anderson-Dolan had a pair of goals and Dawson Weatherill turned aside 22 shots in a 6-0 win for the Chiefs over the Oil Kings Sunday at Rogers Place.

Elynuik scored 5:04 into the first period and Anderson-Dolan scored with 36 seconds left as the Chiefs won their seventh game of the season. The Chiefs tacked on three more goals in the second and one more in the third. In addition to goals from Elynuik, Anderson-Dolan and Woods, Nolan Reid scored as well for the Chiefs. Ty Smith had a pair of assists.

In net, Weatherill made 22 stops, including six in the first, seven in the second and nine more in the third. Trey Fix-Wolansky led the Oil Kings with four shots while three other players had three shots each, though none of them found the back of the net.

Boston Bilous made 16 saves on 21 shots before being pulled while Travis Child made 10 saves in a relief effort.

The Chiefs are in Calgary to battle the Hitmen Tuesday while the Oil Kings are off for a full week, hosting the Regina Pats next Sunday.

Noah Philp and Austin Strand scored goals 94 seconds apart early in the third period Sunday to lift the defending WHL Champions over the Everett Silvertips.

Dillon Hamaliuk opened the scoring in the first for Seattle, but the Tips responded with a pair of power play goals from Connor Dewar, the second goal coming with 4:23 left in the third. That lead didn’t last long as Hamaliuk scored 10 seconds later to even up the game heading to the third.

In the third, Philp score 1:07 into the period, followed at the 2:41 mark by Strand’s fifth of the season that would stand up as the game-winner after Bryce Kindopp cut Seattle’s lead to one midway through the period.

Matt Berlin stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Thunderbirds as they inched a game over five-hundred on the season.

Sunday’s game marked the start of a seven-game road trip for the Thunderbirds that’ll take them through the Central Division, starting Friday in Cranbrook, B.C. against the Kootenay ICE. The Tips will look to snap their 0-3-1-0 slide on the road against the Kamloops Blazers Friday.

Zane Franklin registered three goals as the Lethbridge Hurricanes laid a beating on the Medicine Hat Tigers Sunday evening.

Franklin, the feisty 5-foot-10 product of Marwayne, Alta., doubled his goal totals this season with Sunday’s output. First, he opened the scoring a mere 19 seconds into regulation. After Tigers captain Mark Rassell evened the affair minutes later, Franklin replied later in the first period, giving the hosts a 2-1 edge through 20 minutes of play.

The pugnacious grinder wasn’t done scoring yet as he rounded out his hat trick 5:57 into the second period, putting the ‘Canes up by a 3-1 count. Rookie Dylan Cozens and veteran Ryan Vandervlis sandwiched a goal from Tigers forward James Hamblin as Lethbridge owned a commanding 5-2 lead through 40 minutes of action.

Import Egor Zudilov tallied his first career WHL goal to pile on midway through the third period and Brady Pouteau rounded out the scoring for Lethbridge.

Edmonton Oilers prospect Stuart Skinner steered aside 35 of 37 shots for his fifth win of the season as the Hurricanes returned to the .500 mark in the process.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) cares about your privacy. Thank you for your interest in our network of websites, newsletters, and other services. We believe in fully disclosing the methods to which we collect and use your personal information. We also invite you to ask us about our policies or feel free to let us know how we can better serve your privacy concerns.